Chapter 39: 39. The Amazing Herbology Professor
"Ah!"
At that moment, a student tripped and knocked over a row of flower pots.
Suddenly, loud crackling sounds filled the air.
The student's face went pale as Professor Sprout and a group of young wizards turned around.
"Wow!!!"
Before anyone could react, a sharp scream pierced their ears.
Everyone felt dizzy, and even the glass on the greenhouse roof shattered. The young wizards covered their heads in pain.
"Be quiet!"
Seeing the chaos, Ivan stepped forward and placed his hand on the source of the loud noise without waiting for Professor Sprout to draw her wand.
He didn't cast a spell; instead, he simply stopped the overwhelming magic.
The strange, frightening sound waves were a type of magic Ivan had never encountered in any book. It wasn't a spell but something that came from the unusual plant lying on the ground.
'When the mechanism is activated, it will trigger.'
Realizing this, Ivan used his magic to interrupt the "magic" from the plant and forced it to stop.
While it sounded easy, it was extremely challenging in practice.
Most people couldn't perceive the tiny details of the magical world.
"Oh!!"
The scream of the Mandrake suddenly stopped, causing Professor Sprout to pause, her wand still in hand.
The Hufflepuff dean quickly checked on her students. Seeing they were fine but slightly dizzy from the noise, she felt relieved.
"Child."
Sprout noticed Ivan, the one who had just calmed the chaos.
The Mandrake in the Hogwarts greenhouse was still growing. Its screams were terrible and could make someone faint after a while, but they were not deadly.
Even so, Sprout didn't want her students to end up in the school hospital during their first class.
"My name is Ivan, Ivan Ambrosius, professor."
"Oh, Mr. Ambrosius."
Professor Sprout looked at him with admiration and gratitude. "Thanks to you, the students are safe. Gryffindor gets 20 points!"
"Hooray!"
When she spoke, the little wizards who understood what had just happened clapped for Ivan.
Professor Sprout didn't blame the student who caused the trouble. She gently placed the still-sleeping Mandrake back into the flowerpot and explained, "This is a Mandrake. You'll learn about this magical plant in your second year."
She talked about the plant's habits and dangers and thanked Ivan once more.
"Ivan, how did you do that?"
Hermione was confused by what Ivan had just done. He simply raised his hand and spoke, and the Mandrake calmed down immediately.
Ivan didn't hide his method from Hermione, but the magic theory he explained was too complex for her to grasp.
In the end, Hermione decided it must be Ivan's unique magical talent, which made her quite envious.
Sprout and the other first-years overheard their conversation, especially Sprout, who was amazed by Ivan's magic theory.
On the first night of school, Ivan and the others were introduced to the history of magic, a subject known as the dullest at Hogwarts.
It must be said, Professor Spence, the ghostly teacher, really changed Ivan's view of history class—he had never experienced such a boring lesson before.
While Ivan and the others were in night classes, Sprout sought out McGonagall.
"Minerva."
One was the head of Hufflepuff, and the other was the head of Gryffindor. They had always maintained a good friendship.
"Pomona?"
McGonagall looked at Sprout in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"It's about the new student in your house,"
Sprout replied with excitement. "I've never seen a young wizard with such talent."
"Are you talking about..."
McGonagall asked, "Ivan?"
"Yes, Ivan Ambrosius."
Professor Sprout was envious. "He protected the students in my class, so I awarded him 20 points."
It was incredible that he could calm the Mandrake with just a few words.
Moreover, during the subsequent class, Sprout observed that Ivan had a natural affinity for plants; the flowers in the greenhouse seemed to respond positively to him.
"Haha!"
Hearing this, Professor McGonagall's face lit up. The older cat lady said happily, "That child is a born wizard."
"???"
Professor Sprout didn't fully grasp the meaning of this until McGonagall shared more about Ivan's background.
"Merlin's beard."
Sprout exclaimed, "I always thought that was just a legend."
She felt fortunate that McGonagall had stepped out to help two first-years and discovered talents like Ivan and Hermione.
Yes, Hermione had also made a strong impression on Sprout.
No matter what question Sprout posed, Hermione was always the first to raise her hand to answer, and she was always correct.
"Ahem."
McGonagall coughed lightly to hide her pride. "You have to understand, Pomona, the Sorting Hat can always find the unique traits of the students."
Sprout felt a bit sour about this.
The last time the Sorting Hat sorted the Weasley twins into Gryffindor, didn't McGonagall complain that the Sorting Hat was picking on her?
Fortunately, Sprout was more envious than anything else.
If Flitwick had been there, he would probably have dragged McGonagall to the Sorting Hat to demand an explanation.
After History of Magic, Ivan parted ways with Hermione. He asked her to help feed Yumi and then headed toward the floor where the principal's office was located.
"Toffee candy."
After saying the password, the gargoyle statue moved aside, allowing Ivan to climb the stairs and knock on the principal's office door.
"Principal."
The principal's office looked the same as it had during Ivan's last visit, though the space seemed a little larger this time.
The old man walked behind his desk, a habit he had every night. He liked to pace alone around his desk.
"How was your first day?"
Dumbledore didn't seem like the most powerful wizard in the world in front of Ivan. Instead, he appeared like a kind elder, very friendly.
"Great,"
Ivan replied with a smile. "Except for History of Magic. You know, Cuthbert Binns's class is really a bit..."
"I don't understand. I mean, the professor of History of Magic is a ghost."
"I thought about that when I was in school," Dumbledore said. "Maybe it's because ghosts don't need to be paid?"
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